Almost
by IzumiTheMoogle
Summary: After the events of One Piece: Film Gold, Luffy begins having terrible nightmares he thought would never plague him again. Zoro investigates. "I'm alive. I'm okay." "But you almost weren't." (Luffy/Zoro Friendship) [ONE-SHOT]


**Hey guys~  
** **So this little one-shot is set right after the events of One Piece: Film Gold. As such, it has some spoiler-y stuff in it in regards to the movie. If you haven't seen it and don't want to know anything about it until you do, please refrain from reading until afterwards.**

 **Otherwise, please enjoy this little Zoro and Luffy friendship ficlet!**

 **Pairings:** None. (Friendship, remember? Although I guess take it as you will.)

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing, etc etc.

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Luffy shot up from his bunk with a gasp, blanket flying off his body. He put a shuddering hand to his chest, heart throbbing and scar ringing in dull pain. The young captain's eyes blinked in adjustment to the dark men's quarters. Hearing his fellow crewmates' contented snores slowed his rapid heartbeat. _Except one was missing…_ Luffy shook his head, sweat dripping down his face. _He was fine, they were all fine…_

The rubber boy closed his eyes and rubbed his face with a hand. As soon as his eyes closed again a horrific flash of the most recent nightmare assaulted his senses. _The blood, the heat… The agony._ Luffy opened his eyes again as his heart rate began to climb back up. He heaved a heavy sigh and crawled out of bed, grabbing his straw hat and putting its string around his neck. Some fresh air might clear his head a little.

As he tiptoed out of the men's quarters, he glanced back over his shoulder once at his sleeping crewmates. The boys slept soundly, everyone there except…

" _Zoro…_ " Luffy swallowed past a lump in his throat. " _He's on watch."_ A little nagging voice in the back of his head reminded him of his nightmare, but he shook it off as he snuck out the door and on to the deck of the Sunny.

The air was cool and refreshing. Luffy's vest billowed in the slight breeze and he took in a deep breath of the salty sea air. He wandered over to his special seat atop the Sunny's figurehead, drawing his knees into his chest and gazing at the starry sky reflected in the sea.

Suddenly the images all came flying back, assaulting his mind. Luffy's hands clenched tightly onto his legs as he tried to push the sight out of his head. Not just the sight, but the sounds… the smell…

 _The raging battlefield around them faded into a deafening silence. Luffy clutched Ace's body in uncomprehending shock, hand trembling over the gaping hole in his brother's chest. Akainu loomed over the pair like a fiery shadow. Fire… Fire circled around them. Luffy's eyes stung with tears and ash. Wrong… it was all wrong._

" _A… A-Ace… You're gonna be okay! Y-You… You promised-!"_

 _He looked at the hand that covered Ace's wound and saw…_

"Luffy?"

The rubber captain snapped out of his reverie and straightened up. He didn't have to look to know who that voice belonged to.

Zoro stood behind the Sunny's figurehead, towel slung lazily over his shoulder. He had been training in the crow's nest during his watch- per usual –when out of the corner of his eye he spotted a little black haired speck sitting on the Sunny's lion head. Only one person sat there. Zoro's eyes had narrowed as he took a closer look. The way Luffy was sitting, all curled up into himself, made the swordsman's stomach twist. Maybe something happened. He was climbing down the ladder of the crow's nest to the deck without another thought.

Zoro frowned at the lack of vocal response from his captain. He walked a few steps closer to the figurehead. "What are you doing out here? You already had your…" His voice petered off as Luffy craned his neck around to look at the swordsman. There was… pain in the boy's eyes. Pain and fear. Zoro's hands reflexively went to his swords. "Did something happen? Are you alright?"

Luffy's eyes clouded over with an emotion Zoro couldn't place, and he shook his head, bringing his gaze back out to the sea. "I'm fine."

Zoro's frown deepened. He ruffled his hair with an annoyed huff, and then climbed up to the Sunny's figurehead, shuffling around to get comfortable in the limited space.

Luffy was surprised at his First Mate's sudden appearance. "Hey, what are-?"

Zoro's expression was serious as he locked eyes with the boy. "How long have we been sailing together, Luffy?"

"Uhh, I dunno, a long time-?"

"So what makes you think you can lie to me? You know you suck at it." He scoffed, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back against the Sunny's mane.

Luffy blinked at his swordsman for a moment. Then he turned back around to the sea with a sad smile. "Yeah, guess I'm pretty bad at it."

"Certainly no Usopp."

"Shishishi…"

The two sat in silence for a few moments before Zoro noticed Luffy hug his legs closer to his body. "… I didn't think I'd have these nightmares again." The boy muttered quietly.

"Nightmares?" Zoro's brow creased.

"I stopped having them about halfway through my training with Rayleigh, so I just thought they were gone for good…"

" _During his training? What could…"_ A sour taste formed in Zoro's mouth as the realization came upon him. "Oh."

They sat in silence for another minute or two. Zoro felt an awkward guilty twinge gnawing away at his stomach, but couldn't figure out how to properly express his concern to Luffy. Ever since reforming at Sabaody, no one on the crew had even mentioned Ace, much less the horrific events at Marineford. Hearing Luffy bring it up caused a jumble of emotions to form in the Pirate Hunter's gut that he wasn't sure how to deal with.

"It's terrible, Zoro…" Luffy continued in almost a whisper. His head was stooped on to his knees, expression covered by his arms. "I just… relive what happened over and over… like the pain will never end. Ace is always… dying in my arms. And I can't…" His body shook. "I can't save him… Ever…"

"Luffy…" Zoro sat up from his relaxed position. He hated this. He hated seeing Luffy so damn vulnerable. He wasn't supposed to be like that. The crushing pain and guilt the StrawHat Captain must have felt during the crew's two years apart made Zoro seethe with self-loathing. If only he wasn't so weak…

"… How long have you been having them again?"

Luffy raised his head a fraction, red-rimmed eyes barely visible. "A few days…" He paused, then elaborated. "Since we left Gran Tesoro…"

Another unnamable feeling twisted into Zoro's stomach. He tried to look Luffy in the eye, but the boy kept his gaze stubbornly ahead. "Why since then…?"

Luffy bit his lip hard. "Because now… They're different. The nightmares." He swallowed. "I still… I'm still holding Ace, but then…"

 _He looked at the hand that covered Ace's wound and saw…_

 _Gold._

 _Luffy stared at it disbelievingly. Gold...? But it was warm... And Ace was bleeding…_

 _The boy blinked again and noticed a muscular tanned arm draped over him instead of Ace's pale skin. His eyes shot to the side and took in the familiar green hair on his shoulder._

" _Z-Zoro…?" His mind raced. No, it wasn't… It couldn't be… How could…_

Luffy slowly looked up to lock eyes with Zoro. Tears began to spill over. "But then… It's you."

Zoro was baffled. "… What?"

 _His hand went back to the wound, and Luffy's throat tightened painfully as he felt the same gaping hole in his First Mate's chest. More of the warm gold liquid seeped from the wound, soon covering the ground beneath them._

" _Zoro… Why… " Tears welled in Luffy's eyes._

"It's you _,_ Zoro! _"_ Luffy repeated stronger, clutching his head in his hands. "I'm holding you instead, and..."

 _The previously fiery shadow of Akainu became engulfed in tendrils of gold until he reshaped into the manically laughing Gild Tesoro. Luffy tried to inch back in fear, but his body wouldn't move._

" _Lu..ffy…" Zoro's voice was a desperate whisper._

"A-And there's gold where blood is supposed to be… And Tesoro appears…"

 _Luffy turned his head to the side just as Zoro began to fall. The life faded from his eyes and everything began to move in slow motion. Luffy's body rattled with pain, arms paralyzed in place and eyes locked to the lifeless body of his First Mate._

" _Zo… ro… Z-Zoro… Oi…" This couldn't be happening, it couldn't._

"I can't save you…"

" _How about it, StrawHat?" Tesoro's voice rang out, arms open wide in victory. "Laugh."_

" _Zoro…!" Gold kept pouring out from the hole in his chest. It wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't it stop?_

" _Laugh!"_

 _Then his body erupted with grief. "ZOOOOOOROOOOOOOOO!"_

"And you die."

Zoro was shocked into silence.

Luffy put an arm over his eyes, trying to stop crying. "B-But I know…" He tried to catch his breath. "I know… You didn't die. You're h-here. It's just…" He looked at Zoro with a pleading expression that tore the swordsman's heart in half. "You almost… you almost weren't."

"Luffy…"

"I need to be stronger, Zoro. You almost died because I couldn't protect you."

"Luffy."

"I was weak and naïve, and I couldn't stop him from capturing you, and he-!"

"Luffy!"

The young captain stopped short in his babbling as Zoro grabbed him by the shoulders.

"I am right. Here." Zoro's expression was soft as he looked into Luffy's pain-ridden eyes. "I'm alive. It's okay."

New tears formed in Luffy's eyes and he desperately grabbed one of the sleeves of his First Mate's shirt. Zoro wondered if his captain was actually looking at him at all, or if the image of his dead body was still etched into the poor boy's mind.

"I can't lose anyone else, Zoro."

Zoro wished he could take all of Luffy's pain from him again. He would give anything to make sure that horrified expression never crossed his Captain's face again. "… I know." He gave Luffy's shoulders a little squeeze before letting go and detaching the boy's hand from his sleeve.

Zoro considered the enemies they had fought so far in the New World. "Even though we all trained for two years… The New World is different. There are new monstrously strong enemies waiting around every corner. We have to give every bit of strength we have to each battle to make sure everyone continues on."

"Yeah…" Luffy agreed, wiping his face with his arms one more time, sniffing loudly. "… Do you ever get scared, Zoro?"

"Scared?"

"Mmhmm."

"Like… of enemies?"

"No, I know you don't do that. Zoro doesn't get scared of fights."

He couldn't help but let his mouth twitch up in a pleased smirk at that. "Then do you mean… Scared for the crew?"

Luffy nodded.

Zoro shuffled uncomfortably. "… Sometimes." He admitted. "You never know what to expect out here, and one tiny mistake could cost us big." He closed his eye. "… Like with Tesoro. His ability was far beyond what we were prepared for… I screwed up. Let my guard down. Couldn't break out of that stupid gold cross. I let it get too far."

"But-"

"I shouldn't have needed protecting." Zoro interrupted. "But I did. And you guys still saved me, in the end."

Luffy looked thoughtfully at his First Mate. "Zoro…"

Zoro turned to look at Luffy again, a confident smirk on his face. "Just like I knew you would."

Luffy's surprised face quickly melted into a laugh. It was a welcome sound to Zoro. "Yeah, we did. I mean, those guys were really the ones with the plan, shishi."

"Well yeah, who would ever expect you to follow any kind of plan?"

Luffy laughed again. "I just think straightforward is best!"

Zoro chuckled, and the two sat in silence for a little longer. A crease formed on Zoro's brow again as he fell back into thought. "Hey…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm… sorry. For your nightmares. For scaring you."

Luffy was staring into the sea with an unreadable expression again. He turned to Zoro with a sincere smile. "Ah, don't worry about it. It's not really your fault. That Tesoro guy was a jerk." Zoro sighed in relief. When he looked back at his Captain, the boy had a very serious look on his face again.

"What is it?"

"I won't let it happen again. So you'd better not let it either."

The finality and weight of that statement startled the swordsman. He blinked at Luffy a few times before nodding curtly. "I won't…" He paused. "But if something does happen…"

"No." Luffy said adamantly. "I won't let it."

"I know… But we need to be prepared for the wo-"

"I'm going to be the King of the Pirates."

"Of course, but-"

"And I can't do that unless I have Zoro."

A lump formed in the back of Zoro's throat that made him swallow any retort he might have had. Roronoa Zoro was not the emotional type. But a prickly feeling in the back of his mouth felt an awful lot like the beginning of tears, and he had to swallow hard to make the feeling go away. He laughed raggedly. _What a mystifying idiot of a leader I have…_

Luffy was still looking at him sternly. "You have to stay with us. Got it?"

"Yeah, I understand, Captain. Loud and clear."

"Good!" Luffy relaxed, legs folding into the familiar crisscross pose that he normally assumed on his special seat. Seeing that made Zoro relax as well.

"… You feeling any better?"

"Mm." Luffy yawned widely. " 'M sleepy, though."

"So go sleep." Zoro caught the way Luffy glanced at him. "I will be here when you get up. I'm not going anywhere, remember?"

Luffy grinned. Then he gasped in realization. "But won't breakfast be-?"

"A few hours out. After my shift is over it's curly-brow's. We'll make sure you're up."

"Thanks, Zoro!" Luffy smiled, then stood up from his spot on the figurehead. A thought occurred to him. "Ah, I know!"

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna let you sit on my special seat for a while, okay? Only until I get up."

Zoro blinked, then snorted in laughter. "Uh, thanks Luffy, but-"

"Oh, and hold on to this too, okay Zoro?"

Luffy stuffed his hat on to Zoro's head, eliciting a confused gurgle from the swordsman. "Oi, Luffy-"

But by the time he turned around, the young boy had already propelled himself off the figurehead and towards the men's quarters. Zoro sat in bewilderment for a moment before scoffing and shuffling back around to face the ocean. He took the straw hat off his head and considered it with a fond glimmer in his eye before setting it on his lap, hand covering it protectively.

He leaned back against the Sunny's figurehead with a content smile. " _Get some rest, idiot Captain."_

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 **A/N: The idea for this popped into my head after watching Film Gold (which is stupendous by the way. Definitely top tier in the One Piece movie realm), and I figured I may as well write it out.**

 **One of the things about the movie that got me is that Luffy's urgency to save Zoro really intensified after he saw him on that execution stage. It's like beforehand he wasn't so worried about Zoro (because it's Zoro) but then when he saw him actually incapacitated there... Well, I'm sure he had some very unhappy flashbacks to Ace's execution. Anyway, I thought the whole thing was great. Awesome music, beautiful animation, and great performances by all.**

 **Grahh, it feels so strange to write for One Piece again. It is my favorite, and I love doing it, but it has been so long! I feel hella rusty baha. Despite the rust, I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of this little piece. Please let me know what you think! Thanks, as always!  
~Izumi **


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